And on This Sentimental Journey
by moments.in.spring
Summary: "You know what I meant. This tradition… it's sentimental to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the band – more than anything – but coming back to where it all started… with the rain… with you, I don't want this to ever stop."
1. Coffee

**A/N: Welcome to my new fic! It's probably one of my favorites. I've been working on this one for over a year as a birthday present for the amazing peyton4life. Sorry it's so late, Mel. **

**The italicized portion of each chapters are flashbacks. A good chuck of this story will be told in flashbacks, so just be aware that the story will jump back a forth between the past and the present.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p>Rachel was getting impatient.<p>

Sitting at the table, she tapped her foot three times, before resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

He couldn't have forgotten, could he? She pouted her lip at the thought.

But no. No. She wouldn't let it get to her. She quickly chastised herself and shook her head. Now was not the time to get worked up. So what if Finn didn't come? It's not like they were anything. It's not like they could be anything…

With that thought, she gathered her things and was milliseconds from leaving.

Until a tall figure came quickly through the door of the café.

And just like she was glued to her seat.

"Sorry," he said, removing his hat, flipping his hair slightly in an effort to shake the wet rain off his hair. She crinkled her nose as beads of water drops landed on her, but nothing could stop her heart from leaping at the sight of him.

"Puck kept asking questions," he continued, taking the seat directly across from her.

"You should put your hat back on," she changed the subject. "Someone might recognize us." She scanned the room quickly to make sure they didn't draw any attention. Thankfully, no one seemed to mind them.

"But its wet!" he complained, still he did as she said. "You know," he took a hold of her hands, "someday, one day, someone is bound to recognize us. Even with the hats."

"What happens when they do?" she challenged him.

"Nothing. We're not doing anything wrong, are we?" he squeezed her hands.

She couldn't answer him. Still, she squeezed his hands back, and she knew that the simple action alone said it all.

"You were worried that I wouldn't come, weren't you?" he said, seeing right through her.

"I was worried that you were getting tired of this… of our situation," she admitted.

"Rachel," he said softly before quickly pressing her hands against his lips. "If I could make it rain everyday, believe me I would, just to be with you here."

"Because you don't see me enough already," she offered, only somewhat intending for it to be a joke.

"You know what I meant. This tradition… it's sentimental to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the band – more than anything – but coming back to where it all started… with the rain… with you, I don't want this to ever stop."

"So," she smiled, not wanting to discuss the extent of their 'situation' any longer. "What are we going to talk about today?"

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><p>It had become their thing – having coffee together whenever it rained.<p>

See, they had met one rainy day in the coffee shop.

She thought about that day often, but she couldn't help but to think about it right then as she sat on Finn's bed, waiting for her wet socks to finish drying in his dryer.

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><p><em>Rain in New York City wasn't rare, but it was not necessarily enjoyable either. Especially when it was humid. The humidity did crazy things to her hair. <em>

_And frizzy hair was just the tipping point of her day._

_Trying hard not to curse at the sky, Rachel tried her best to push all the problems with the band outside of her mind. Seeking shelter, she spotted the nearest shop – which happened to be her favorite café. Relief and eager to taste a nice, warm cup of coffee, she hurried inside, already formulating her order in her mind._

_Perhaps she would get a scone, oh yes, perhaps a cookie too? Why not? After the long, hectic weeks she's been having, she definitely deserved it. Thank god, it seemed like she finally had something to look forward to – life wasn't that terrible so long as she had her coffee._

_However, as she walked inside, she took one glance at the amount of people who had the same idea as her, much to her dismay. She huffed, and ran her hand down her wet hair. This was just great. All the tables were occupied, where was she going to sit? Not only that, but the line was ridiculously long. What about her coffee? And her pastries? She wanted them now. Was that too much to ask? _

_It was just bad timing, really. Her patience really wasn't usually that low, honest. _

_And normally, she wouldn't condone this type of behavior. But she was going to do it. She was going to scream, and scream loud, right in public, not giving a damn about anything else._

_She opened her mouth, ready to let several weeks' worth of anger and frustration out –_

_Until someone tapped her on the shoulder._

"_Excuse me," she heard._

_Immediately she stiffened, and closed her mouth. Thank god, someone just saved her from a complete breakdown. Plastering a smile on her face, she turned around to face the person who tapped her._

_Only she couldn't help her jaw from dropping yet again._

"_I um… noticed you were alone, and needed a place to sit. There was a empty seat at my table and I thought, hey, maybe I could be nice and share," the man said._

_And oh wow, he was gorgeous. He was tall, so much taller than her, and yet with the way his eyes crinkled and the way his dimples seemed to perfectly compliment his smile, she was in no way intimated by him. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Plus, he invited her to sit with him. She didn't meet nice, handsome people often. _

_And here she was, about to scream in the middle of a café. Not one of her brightest moments._

"_Not that you have to or anything, you know, sit with me," he scratched his head. "Or if you wanted to, you know, grab and go, or if you're here with someone else, you can totally ignore everything I'm saying. I just thought I'd offer," she watched as he began to rock on one foot. This man was too cute. And sweet. _

_Then she realized she never answered him._

"_No no. I mean yes. I am. Wait. I mean, yes, I would love to sit next to you" she rambled, fumbling with her fingers. "Thank you so much for offering."_

"_Cool," he smiled even wider, and she could swear that her heart skipped a beat. "So uh, this way."_

_He led the way to way to a table nearby, and pulled a chair out for her. _

"_Thank you," she said, finding the entire situation so surreal. Surely, she was still out in the rain, maybe she was struck by lightning. There was no way that she was sitting with the most handsome stranger in history of mankind._

_Shoot, now she realized she was staring. His eyes caught hers and she took notice of the how he blushed before he looked away. Was he staring at her too?_

"_The rain looks good on you," he said, almost to justify why he was staring. She looked back up at him, half puzzled, half amused. He must have noticed her expression, because he cleared his throat. "What I meant was that you look very nice, even with the rain."_

_A bit self-conscious, she touched her hair, making sure it wasn't too fizzy. _

"_You should see me without the rain," she said back._

_He raised his eyebrow, and she found herself blushing. _

"_I should. I mean - I should see you without it, too. I'm sure you would look great."_

_He was looking at her, and her insides were all fluttery. She wasn't used to this funny feeling._

"_The rain looks good on you too," she blurted, too fast to take it back._

"_Thanks, but I'm not wet from the rain. At least, I don't think I am," he furrowed his brow, looking down at his shirt._

"_What I meant to say was that if you did have rain in your hair, it would look good. Not that it looks bad now, it's just that it would look very nice. It's a compliment," she giggled, somewhat nervously, before turning pink. She was embarrassed at how terrible she could be around attractive men._

"_Why thank you," he said, attempting to wink. He was rather awkward too. That only made her adored him more._

_Their actions made the two of them burst out into laughter. _

"_I'm sorry, I don't do this often," he smiled at her._

"_You mean you don't always ask strangers to sit next to you in coffee shops?" she joked, sounding shocked to tease him._

"_Once or twice," he tilted his head. "But you're the first stranger who's made me feel nervous. You're also first one who's under 70." _

_She giggled. "Well I'm honored, but that last thing I want is for you to feel nervous."_

"_I can't help it, it's just that you're the prettiest stranger I've ever met," he admitted shyly, looking down._

_Normally, she would be quick to judge attractive men. Surely, they would know all the right words to say to a girl to make them fall._

_But, Finn was different. She didn't know why. But she could just see how genuine he was. And coming from him, she couldn't help but to believe him._

"_Well then, don't think of us as strangers. Let's just say we met before," she proposed._

"_Oh really?" he looked up, interested. "Where did we meet?"_

"_Hmm…" she thought hard. "We met at… hmm… oh! We met on Black Friday."_

"_Black Friday?" _

"_Oh yes, ages ago. I came alone, you came alone, and we just happened to be standing next to each other in line."_

"_Really now?"_

"_Yes, don't you remember? We both had our eyes on a brand-new flat screen television. Only we were too busy talking to each other that someone snuck up and scored the last one."_

"_That's terrible!"_

"_I know! But it all worked out in the end. You helped me pick a brand new set of bedspread."_

"_And you even helped me picked out something for my niece!" he played along, and simple addition made her beam._

"_That's right. Because you couldn't decided between a Belle or an Ariel doll," she continued on._

"_Yup, you convinced me to get both!" he laughed, and she couldn't help but to laugh again too. _

"_So you see, we're not strangers. No need to for us to be nervous," she said, still smiling._

"_True, but I still don't know your name," he said._

_Rachel was surprised she hadn't told him yet. Introductions were typically the first thing she did when she met someone – especially because she wanted people to know (and remember) her name when she inevitably became famous. Perhaps the reason why she didn't automatically introduce herself was because this man caught her off guard. Or it was because he was something else completely._

"_That's funny," she said. "Considering how we're not strangers. But I'm Rachel," she said, sticking out her hand._

"_Finn," he shook her hand back, up and down, and Rachel couldn't help but to bite her lip, holding back a laugh, as he kept on shaking her hand._

"_What?" he smiled as he continued to shake her hand._

"_Strangers don't shake hands," she pointed out. She didn't necessarily wanted him to stop, she just found teasing him to be too much fun._

"_You're right," he stopped their hands midair. Suddenly, he moved his hand so that their hands were interlocked._

"_Is that better?" he asked, curious yet cautious._

"_Much better," she replied, noticing the way his eyes shined at her response._

_Finding herself blushing, she trailed her eyes away from him and down toward the table. That's when she saw a piece of newspaper and scone placed right beside him._

"_Oh my gosh!" she said, taking her hand out of his._

"_What's wrong?" he asked, concerned._

"_I'm interrupting you! You were in the middle of eating your scone and reading the paper before I came and interrupted you! I am so sorry!"_

"_Rachel," he said, amused. "I asked you to come here. You're not interrupting me. Not in the slightest."_

"_Are you sure?" she asked. She didn't want to disrupt whatever Finn was doing before she came, no matter how much she found herself more and more fascinated and comfortable with him._

"_Nope. I was bored actually. I'm glad you came. But… what about you?"_

"_Me?"_

"_Yeah, you came in in here for a reason. Did you want to buy something?" he asked._

"_Well I originally came in here to seek shelter from the rain, but then I realized that a pastry or two sounded really good__," she said. "But the line is rather long, and I can get pretty impatient," she laughed despite her honesty._

"_Do you want some?" he pointed to his scone. "It's cranberry."_

_She stomached groaned. Cranberry scones were her favorite, and she was hungry. "Maybe just a little," she gave in, and opened her mouth as Finn placed some directly into it._

"_Is it good?" he asked as she chewed._

"_Delicious," she said in between bites. _

"_You can have it," Finn said, smiling._

"_Really?" Rachel asked, her mouth full._

"_Sure. In fact, how about I go buy us some more food?"_

"_No, it's okay I – " Rachel swallowed before Finn cut her off._

"_Too late, I'm already up. What do you want?"_

"_Just a cup of coffee," Rachel caved in. She was hungry._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Positive," she took another bite. "And maybe a cookie too."_

"_No problem," Finn smiled, tilting his head in thought. " You know, I've never actually drank coffee before."_

"_What?!" Rachel gasped before she swallowed. "Are you serious? You've never had a cup of coffee?"_

"_I don't know, I just never did."_

"_Well what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a cup too," she said. "We're taking away your coffee virginity today, and trust me, your life will never be the same way again."_

_Finn burst out into laughter, and Rachel couldn't help but laugh back._

"_Okay, Rachel. I'll drink one cup, just for you."_

"_Thank you, I'm honored to witness this monumental event. And don't worry, I'll pay you back." _

"_Don't worry about it," he said as he walked over to the line._

_Rachel sank back in her seat as he left. She went from 0 to 100 in just a few moments, all because of Finn._

_She smiled to herself at the thought of the man. No one has ever… intrigued her so quickly more than him._

_She looked at her watch: 15 minutes. It had been only 15 minutes since she walked into the coffee shop, and in just those fifteen minutes she already smiled and laughed more than she had in the past month._

_Maybe Finn was just what she needed._

_Not too longer after, Finn came back with the cups of coffee and deserts in tow. _

_Rachel clapped her hands as he sat down and placed her food in front of her. "Thank you!" she said, taking a sip of the coffee. "And you put the perfect amount of creamer in. Not bad for a beginner."_

_Looking at Finn, she laughed when she saw the way he was looking at his own cup. "Try it! It's not scary!"_

_Nodding, Finn took a deep breath, before he took a sip._

_If his facial expression didn't say it all, then the way he spit the drink back into his cup certainly did._

"_It's hot!" he said, scrunching his nose._

"_That's why you blow it!" Rachel said, taking his cup so she could blow on it herself._

"_There," she said, after a minute of blowing, looking up to see Finn looking at her tenderly. Blushing she pushed the cup back toward him. "Try it now."_

_Nodding, Finn took the cup and slowly took a sip._

"_So?" Rachel asked when he swallowed._

"_Not the best taste in the world," Finn said, honestly. Still he took another sip._

"_So Finn," Rachel said after a few moments of silence. "Why are you here?"_

"_Why am I here?" Finn repeated, sounding confused._

"_Let me rephrase that: what brings you here, in this coffee shop."_

"_Oh, well…" he suddenly looked shy. "I was actually here to read the paper here quietly, alone. My roommate has been getting on my nerves lately. It's been… rough for us since we moved to the city." _

_Sensing another story completely, Rachel placed her hand on the top of his as a sign of comfort. "Trust me, I totally get where you're coming from. Both of my roommates and their drama has got us all in quite a predicament. But you can tell me, you know. The thing that's been troubling your mind."_

"_Thank you," Finn said sincerely, putting his other hand on top of hers, so that her hand was sandwiched in between his. " But you don't want to hear about my struggles."_

"_That's ridiculous," Rachel teased. "I do. And I rarely care about other people, so consider yourself lucky."_

"_Well, where do I begin?" Finn chuckled, taking his hand back and putting in on his forehead, his elbow resting on the table. "I guess, long story short, my roommate and I are both looking for a job. See, we're kind of having trouble paying our rent. Who would have known that living in New York City was going to be so expensive! I was looking at the job listings on the newspaper when you came, actually."_

"_What!" Rachel gasped. "And you paid for all these! Finn!"_

_Finn chuckled. "I can afford some coffee once and awhile, especially for someone that wears rain so well."_

_Rachel slapped his arm playfully. "That's no excuse! Finn, let you pay you back!"_

'"_Not going to happen," Finn shook his head._

"_But-"_

"_I'll tell you what, how about you pay for our next cups of coffee."_

"_Finn, are you tell me that you're willing to drink coffee again?"_

"_Only if it's with you," Finn teased her back._

"_Gosh, you are so cheesy."_

"_So is that a no?"_

"_Consider it a when," Rachel said, giggling at Finn's smirk._

"_Well, I actually have a job interview tomorrow. If I think it goes well, maybe you and I could celebrate. Your treat."_

_Rachel recalled in her head the band's schedule for tomorrow. They had auditions for the two open spots (again). Rachel groaned at the thought of it. So far, no one could quite fit in Pamela Lansbury like Dani and Elliot. And if just trying to replace them was a pain, trying to deal with why they left in the first place was another story. _

_But Rachel didn't want to think about the band, not when someone was finally able to get her mind off of it. _

"_I'm busy in the morning. How about in the evening? You can tell me how it went. What is it for anyways."_

"_I'm not quite sure. My roommate just told me about it. But hey, a job is a job, right?"_

"_Absolutely!" Rachel said. "And if doesn't work out, then it just wasn't meant to be. You'll just end up finding something else that you'll love even more."_

"_Your optimism is inspiring," Finn said._

"_Well, the optimism is conditional," she said bitterly._

"_Now, it looks like it's your turn to say what's on your mind," Finn said, sensing her tone._

"_Breakup drama. I don't really want to get into it. Not today at least." _

_Suddenly, Rachel felt her phone vibrate. "Speak of the devils," Rachel said, before she answered her phone. "Hello."_

"_Where in the world have you been?" the voice on the other line shrieked._

"_Well hello to you too, Kurt," Rachel said sarcastically. _

"_Rachel, I'm being serious here. We were expecting you home ages ago."_

"_You mean, an hour ago. And it was raining, so I went to coffee café just a couple blocks away."_

"_Well it's not raining anymore, is it?" _

_Taking a glance outside, Rachel noticed that it was indeed no longer raining._

"_I guess not. But-"_

"_But what." Rachel heard Santana say. "You better get your Berry butt here now. We need to talk about important matters for tomorrow."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Just come, please," Kurt said. _

"_Tell her I'll be texting her every minute she's not here, just because I know it annoys the crap out of her." Santana yelled through the line._

_Sighing, Rachel hung up the phone and began to stand up. "I have to go," she said, sadly, gathering her things. Her friends just had to find a way to ruin things for her. Sure enough, she felt her phone vibrate from Santana's text._

"_Wait," Finn said, standing up to stand next to her. "We're still meeting tomorrow right?"'_

_Rachel chuckled. "Yes. Tomorrow, right here at say… 5?"_

"_Perfect," Finn said. "Wait, can I have your phone number?" _

"_Can I give to you tomorrow?" Rachel asked, feeling her phone vibrant once more. The last thing she needs is for Finn to see Santana's messages to her. He may not be ready for her intensity just yet. "My roommates can get crazy when they're impatient."_

"_Sure," Finn said, but still he took ahold of her hands. "But before you go, I just want to thank you. I don't know how to explain it, but you couldn't have come into the store at a more perfect time. So thank you, Rachel…"_

_Rachel nearly laughed when she realized they had yet to learn each other's last names. Things certainly were different with Finn. _

"_Berry. Rachel Berry. But you should be thanking the rain, not me. And heck, I should be the one thanking you. I was literally seconds away from embarrassing myself before you tapped my shoulder. So thank you Finn…"_

"_Hudson. Finn Hudson."_

_Finn Hudson, she repeated in her head. It was the perfect name for him._

_Her phone vibrated once more._

"_I'm sorry, I really have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, Finn Hudson."_

"_Goodbye, Rachel Berry," Finn said, squeezing her hand. _

"_Goodbye Finn Hudson!" she replied._

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><p>"What are you thinking about?" Rachel heard a voice, snapping her out of her memories. She smiled at the sight of Finn, now out of his wet clothes dressed in just a boxer and a plain tee. She scooted up in the bed, allowing for him to sit next to her.<p>

"The time we met," she answered, resting her forehead momentarily on his shoulder before looking up at him.

"Can't believe it was almost a year ago?" Finn said, his eyes looking down to meet hers.

"It kind of felt like another lifetime ago."

"Do you regret it?" Finn asked her, his voice soft. "Do you regret everything that has happened since then?"

Rachel glanced down.

"I regret rushing out that night. I mean, I know it's Kurt and Santana's fault. But sometimes I wonder, what if? What if I hadn't left so soon? I mean we connected so quickly."

Finn nodded. "What would you have done?"

"I would have spent all night in that café with you."

Finn was quiet for a bit, deep in thought. "Maybe I would have talked about the fact that Puck and I were musicians. And maybe you would have talked about the band and the "rule." And maybe, I wouldn't have auditioned."

"Maybe. But I'm glad that you did, though," Rachel said, quietly. "Let's face it, with both needed each other."

"Me too. I'm glad," he admitted.

"I just wished that I would I have known then that. Oh, had I known…"

"What would you do?" Finn said, his voice curious yet vulnerable.

"I would have kissed you that night. So I wouldn't have to wonder what it would really be like."

Finn said nothing. He didn't need to.

He looked at her, warmly yet full of yearning, desperately. Slowly, his face inched closer toward hers. Rachel felt hers do the same. Feeling flushed, she allowed them to move closer and closer to one another. Closer then ever. For a moment, Rachel was convinced it was finally going to happen.

But she knew it couldn't.

So she turned away at the very last second.

"But there's nothing we can do about it now," Rachel said, turning to stand up and off the bed. She bravely looked at him, his sad yet accepting face matching hers.

"My socks are probably dry," she continued, clearing her voice. "And I should probably get going, Santana and Kurt might start to wonder where I am…"

"Yeah," Finn turned to get off the bed. "And Puck might be coming soon, too."

They nodded to each other, in understanding.

Finn followed her out to the dryer, watching her as she took out her socks.

"Thanks for these, by the way, the socks," she told him, wobbling a bit as she stood on one foot to put it on.

Noticing her struggle, Finn shook his head in amusement. "Here," he said, putting his hands on her waist to hold her steady.

Rachel made a face at him before successfully putting both socks on her feet.

Finn left his hands on her waist for a moment before placing them on her cheeks.

"You are the cutest thing, Rachel Berry," she squeezed her cheeks, making her pout.

Rachel laughed, before removing his hands off her face.

"I know," she said, patting his face twice. "You're pretty cute too."

"And that's why we're best friends," Finn said, sticking his fist out.

"The bestest," Rachel replied, bumping his fist with hers.

Laughing, Finn pulled her in for a hug. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you home?"

"Please," Rachel said against his chest. "The last thing I need is for Kurt and Santana to see you escorting me home."

"I'll just say I needed to talk to them about the band. I could share with them the song we were working on."

"Finn, we're meeting tomorrow. We don't want them to be suspicious," Rachel said, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"But they have no reason to be. We're not dating, Rachel."

Rachel eyes widened at his words, and she took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to fully accept his words. He's right. They're not dating. They can't date each other.

"Believe me, I know we aren't. But I don't want them to think we are. You and I… even though we're just friends - best friends… we're complicated. And there's too much at stake here, Finn. And we – "

"Have to put the band first. I know. I know," Finn continued her sentence. He pulled her against her arms once more and pressed a kiss against her hairline as she sank against him.

"Just so you know," Finn said, holding her tight, "I don't regret anything that has happened since then. Not a single thing."

Beaming up at him, tears starting to fill her eyes, Rachel pinched his nose. "Thank you, Buddy."

"Thank you, Buddy," Finn said, his voice sounding nasally thanks to her grip on his nose.

Laughing, Rachel let go and stepped out of Finn's arms.

"Call me when you get home," Finn said as they headed toward the door.

"Sure thing," Rachel said as they both stepped out. "Good night," Rachel turned to him. Stepping on her toes, she pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"Good night," Finn smiled, pressing a kiss against her nose.

"Go to sleep early," Finn called as she began to walk away.

"If I fall asleep late, it'll be your fault," Rachel yelled as she turned around to stick her tongue at him.

Laughing when Finn mimicked her actions, Rachel blew him a kiss and left.

How she got to where she was with Finn Hudson, she'll never know.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading the first chapter! More will reveal itself in the chapters to come. Stay tuned!<strong>

**Also, I actually wrote a little story about Finn and Rachel's "first meeting" on my tumblr. It's called "Black Friday Shopping." Although it isn't in the same universe story as this story, feel free to check it out. There's a link to my tumblr in my profile if you are curious.**

**Thank you all! **


	2. Midnights

** A/N: Back with more pieces of the puzzle. Also, just as a little reminder, the italicized portions of the story are flashbacks.**

* * *

><p>"Now, for today's order of business…" Kurt began, gesturing at a poster board that was proudly displayed on its stand.<p>

Spacing out momentarily, because Kurt's weekly band evaluation meetings were really quite a bore, Rachel snuck a peak at Finn, who was sitting next to Puck.

"Rachel!"

"Yes," Rachel snapped back instantly, hoping no one caught her peaking.

"Can you share with us your evaluation of the group?" Kurt demanded.

"Right," Rachel said, standing up, as was customary.

"Kurt, you've been great leading this band. It's almost unrecognizable from where it was a year ago. But I think you need to be more flexible. We need to try different songs and diversify our selections so that they're not too dull."

Kurt nodded slightly. "Understood."

"Santana. You're getting better at working with the recording staff. However, you really, really need to stick with your melodies," Rachel said next, earning nothing but a scoff from Santana.

"Puck," Rachel began next. "Thank you for coming on time this past month. But please, coming on time does not mean you can leave early."

"Awww, Berry wants to spend more time with me," Puck said, slouched in his seat with his hands resting behind his head. Rachel just rolled her eyes.

Finally, she turned to Finn, glaring her eyes. "Finn, your songs lack emotion," she said bluntly.

"Hey hey!" Kurt chipped in. "Remember, rule number 6, all critiques during band evaluations must have both a positive and a negative element."

"No, no, it's fine," Finn stood up. "Hey, since Rachel's setting the new standard, how about I'll go next," Finn said sarcastically. "Kurt, I like poster. It's less confusing as your last one. But you still need to reconsider our band's outfits. They're a bit too much."

Kurt gasped.

"Santana, I'm happy you're so enthusiastic about the songs I write, but you need to be happy with whatever parts of the song you get. Stop bribing me to give you more parts."

"Whatever," Santana shrugged.

"Puck, nice job finding someone who's finally a good influence on you, but please don't touch my drumsticks anymore and use them as swords, at least not without my permission."

Puck just flipped him off.

"And finally," Finn turned to Rachel, his glare matching hers. "Rachel, you need to sing with more emotion."

"Excuse me?" Rachel interjected, her eyes glaring at Finn.

"You're holding back," Finn said simply, knowing it would instigate her more.

"I'm holding back? You're the one who- "

"Enough! Enough! Rachel! Finn! Are we seriously doing this again?" Kurt yelled over the two of them. "Look, we are a band. We can't have you two arguing like this again and again. Quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of it. So, I have no choice. Rachel, you are to work with Finn on a new song."

"Seriously Kurt?" Finn groaned.

"Have you forgotten, band rule number 11?" Kurt cleared his throat. "The elected band leader has the right to assign band tasks as necessary – even if it is against a band member's will."

Finn and Rachel were silent.

"So, Finn, Rachel, work on a song tonight. And Rachel, don't even think about coming home until you finish at least the first draft."

"Kurt!" Rachel gasped.

"Think about it like this, the more you two cooperate, the faster you'll finish the song, and the faster you'll get to go home," Kurt shrugged.

Finn and Rachel once again were silent, and retreated back to their respective seats.

"Now," Kurt began again. "Shall we continue with evaluations?"

As Puck began his evaluations, Rachel allowed the corner of her eye to sneak a glance at Finn.

Sure enough, he caught her gaze, and shot her a quick wink when no one else was looking.

Their plan was a success.

That was the thing about the bands rules. As much as they sucked, sometimes, just sometimes, these rules could work to their advantage.

* * *

><p><em>When Elliot and Dani left Pamela Lansbury, the first official band-related thing Kurt, Rachel, and Santana had to do was to write a band constitution.<em>

_The document was carefully compromised of 15 band rules regarding proper band behavior, etiquette, rights, obligations and punishments. The constitution, in essence, would serve as a contract between the members of the band._

_However, in the past weeks since the split, it had seemed that the constitution was the only productive thing the band had done. After many rounds of auditions, it had seemed that they couldn't find anyone to fill up the two empty spots. _

_Rachel Berry was very much aware of this as she stepped inside their studio. Once again, they were having auditions, and if these two applicants were no good, their chances of finding anyone were going to diminish even further. _

_Still, Rachel couldn't bring herself to care._

_Sitting on the studio, she couldn't stop thinking about Finn. Finn Hudson to be exact. Even though she had only met him the night before, she was sure that Finn Hudson was sent into her life for a purpose. It was crazy, she knew. But for some reason, she had a feeling that he would help lead her to something else, something great. What that something was, she wasn't sure yet. But it was worth looking into._

"_You're not still mad at us, are you?" Santana said, plopping down on the seat right next to her._

_Rachel ignored her. Of course she was angry. Santana and Kurt had urgently called her the night before and demanded her home, cutting her time with Finn short. However, when she had returned home, it had turned out that the only reason why they wanted her home was so that she could change the battery in the smoke detector. Needless to say, she hadn't spoken to either of them since._

"_Come on, like or not, a low-bat smoke detector is an emergency."_

"_Then why make me change it? Me?! The shortest one! Face it, you and Kurt were just too lazy to change it, but the constant beeping annoyed the hell out of you," Rachel snapped, throwing her arms up in anger._

_Santana only smiled. "Great, now that your attempt at the silence treatment is over, its time for a way more important manner… gossip. And the best kind too."_

_Rachel glared._

"_Well, if you don't want to know –" Santana stood up._

"_Fine, fine," Rachel caved. "Tell me."_

"_You know, if you weren't so overdramatic last night, Kurt would have told you too," Santana smirked as she sat back down._

_Rachel glared. "Are you going to tell me or not?"_

"_Okay, okay, get this, one of the guys auditioning, the one of the two that spoke to Kurt on the phone, plays the guitar."_

"_That's good," Rachel nodded, a guitarist was essential to their band._

"_And supposedly, the other one is a drummer."_

_A drummer. They never had a drummer. They pretty much relied on Dani's for the background beats. The news made Rachel feel a bit off. This would be so different for the band. _

_Huh… a drummer... he probably had huge arm muscles…_

_Suddenly, for some reason, her mind drifted back to Finn. Finn had rather toned muscles. She smiled at the thought of him. And his muscles._

_And she didn't know why... why her brain worked it did, but for some reason, she began to imagine Finn as a drummer. _

_Oh god, he was so attractive. So, so attractive. With his arms, his toned arms controlling the beat. And he was so good at it too. And… And…._

_Her brain clicked together._

_Finn and his roommate were looking for a job. They had a job interview tomorrow. Could it be?_

"_Santana," Rachel began carefully. "Did Kurt tell you the names of these people?"_

_Santana smirked. "Yeah, and get this. The guitarist guy calls himself Puck. Puck!"_

"_And the other one?" _

"_This one is just as good. His name, his real name, is Finn."_

"_Finn?" Rachel's mind began spin. No..._

"_Yes!" Santana burst out into laughter. "Finn Hudson. Like a fish and the river."_

_Finn._

_Finn Hudson._

_Finn, the guy she could not stop thinking about, Hudson._

_He was going to audition for her band._

_Her band._

_Suddenly, the buzzer rang._

"_They're here!" Rachel heard Kurt sing a couple feet away. _

_This was wrong. Finn could not join her band. It would ruin everything they had – or rather, everything they could possibly have… _

_No, Rachel wasn't ready. _

"_I have to use the bathroom. I... I… I feel a little dizzy. I might be awhile. Go ahead and let them start without me. I'll be listening, I swear," Rachel lamely excused herself._

"_But Rachel- " Kurt called out, but still Rachel went inside and locked the door._

_Exhaling deeply, she slumped herself against the door._

_What was she going to do?_

_After a few a more breaths, she began to hear voices. Curiously, she pressed her ear against the door to listen._

"_The name's Puck," she heard a hard voice. _

"_Hi, I'm Finn, thank you so much for having us," Rachel heard another voice, a voice she could never forget._

_It truly was her Finn Hudson that was about to audition._

"_You'll have to forgive us, our other member is in the bathroom. She isn't feeling too well. But she'll be out eventually," Rachel heard Kurt say. "So anyways, tell us, what exactly do you know about our band?"_

"_No, I'm afraid not much," Finn began. "Puck just saw your ad in the bar."_

"_Yup, 'Pamela Lansbury, looking for two or more musicians, call for inquiries,' so I thought hey, I Finn and I were two musicians, and so we inquired, and scored got this audition," said another man, presumably Finn's roommate._

"_Well, no worries, long-story short, we're a cover band. So far, we've only had a few gigs, but we're working on going all the way to the top. So uh… right, so if you follow us, you'll find everything you'll need for your audition. Finn, you'll have to excuse us for the condition of the drum. We got all of our instruments and equipment from donations, and I'm afraid we've never had a drummer to take care of it."_

"_No worries, this drum here is beauty," Finn said, and through the bathroom door, Rachel couldn't help but to smile at his genuine kindness._

_It was the same kindness that made her smile. His heart and his kindness made Finn, well Finn. Her Finn. The Finn that was going to lead them to their something great._

_And she wasn't going to let the band and it's rules take him away from her. _

_Knowing what she had to do, Rachel stepped out of the bathroom, only to hear the music already playing._

_The first part of the audition was simple: show off your talents. If they sounded good, then they moved onto the second part, where Kurt, Santana, and herself sang with the people who were auditioning to see if they blended well together._

_So far, not too many people could make it that far. However, from what Rachel could tell, these two most definitely going to advance._

_They sounded amazing. Phenomenal. And this made Rachel even more worried._

_Quickly, she ran into the room where they were playing, only to stop when he was in clear view._

_Her mind did not given drummer Finn justice._

_He was even in more spectacular in real life. Finn didn't just drum the beat - he was the beat. He was so natural and one with the music. _

_It wasn't long before Finn caught her eye, and the smile on his face at the sight of her would be permanently engraved into her head, and maybe even into her heart._

_Smiling, yet conflicted, she made a "shhhh" gesture, holder her finger up to the lower part of her face._

_Nodding, Finn seemed to understand._

_As soon as Finn and Puck were done, Kurt, Santana, and Rachel all applauded._

"_Lovely!" Kurt exclaimed before noticing Rachel. "Good, you're back. Now, for round two, myself, Santana, and Rachel - the other person in our band and our lead vocalist - will be singing with you guys, to get a feel of our band sound."_

"_What song are we going to sing?" the guitarist asked._

"_Madonna of course" Kurt answered. _

_Clearing her throat, Rachel took her position at the front while Kurt got everyone situated._

_Looking behind her shoulder, she caught Finn looking at her. Smiling at her, he made a cup figure with his hands, and made a drinking gesture with his hand before sticking up all 5 figures._

_Rachel instantly understood. She was supposed to meet Finn at their coffee shop at 5 that same day. She quickly nodded before turning to the front._

"_Everyone ready?" Kurt asked. "Okay, on the count of three, one… two… three…"_

_Finn started the first few beats, and before long, all five of them were united in the song. _

_They were performing a love song, of course, a song Rachel had performed many, many times. But this time was different, it was entirely new, entirely unique. This was a different kind of musical dynamic. It was better different, better than what they could have ever anticipated._

_This was music. And during the song, Rachel forgot about her dilemma. She forgot about the rules. All that mattered was the music._

_Soon, the song came to an end, and Rachel was breathless. _

"_Right," Kurt brought everyone back. "So, Finn, Puck, thank you for auditioning. We'll let you know of our decision before the end of the week."_

"_Thank you," Finn instantly got up, and headed over to her. _

_Rachel gulped. She had left the bathroom not too long ago with a mission. But now, after hearing Finn, and singing with him, Rachel had no idea what to do. _

"_I'm Rachel, by the way," Rachel said to Finn as he came up to her, right in front of everyone. Her eyes begged him to play along. Oh she could only imagine what he must be thinking. If only he knew._

"_Finn," Finn shook her hand, and Rachel was instantly taken back to when Finn first shook her hand, just last night. _

_As soon as he let go, she quickly introduced herself to Puck, and not too long after, the two of them departed._

"_I like them," Kurt said as soon as the door closed. "That Finn guy was kind of cute."_

"_Hey, hey," Santana snapped. "You know the rules. You know why we made them in the first place."_

"_I know, I know," Kurt shot his hands up, surrendering. "I'm just saying he's cute. Besides, they're not in the band yet."_

"_I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but we have to have those two in our band," Santana said._

"_I don't know," Rachel said, truthfully. _

"_Rachel, this is a no brainer. They're good, we're amazing, and together, we are going to kick ass," Santana said, kicking the air for emphasis._

_Rachel knew she had a point, but still…_

"_I'm just thinking, they might be too different from us. They seem more like rock artists, KISS fans... and you know how we love our classics."_

"_Well, sorry, but Kurt and I-"_

"_No, Santana, rule number 2, all decisions must be made unanimously," Kurt said. "But come on, Rachel, you heard us. There's no doubt that those two are our best chance, and so far they're the only ones who could possibly fit into our band, your band. This was our dream, remember? And frankly, I think it's their dream too."_

_With Kurt's words Rachel recalled everything Finn had told her the night before. _

_Finn needed this job._

_And her band needed him._

_Suddenly, the right decision became obvious._

_She had to let him, and whatever they had, go. _

_Finn was going to join her band._

* * *

><p>Complying with Kurt's "demand," Rachel left the band's studio with Finn.<p>

Crossing her arms, she waited for Finn to haul a taxi.

"Is Puck not coming back with us?" Rachel asked as she stepped inside. Sliding to the other side so that Finn could enter right behind her, Rachel took a seat behind the driver's seat.

"Nope," Finn said as he sat down behind the passenger's seat and buckled up. "He's going over to Quinn's."

Rachel raised her eyebrow. "Again?"

Finn nodded. "Interesting, right?"

"Very interesting," Rachel agreed, looking out the window, only to be interrupted with a poke at her side.

"Hey," Rachel turned to smile toward Finn, who was already turned toward her. "Did you just poke me?" Rachel asked laughing.

Finn smiled mischievously. "Of course I did! I need to tell you something," He slung his arm around her neck, pulling her close.

"My seatbelt!" Rachel exclaimed, pulling out his embrace. Noticing that they were already far enough from the studio, Rachel quickly ejected her seatbelt and transferred into the middle seat.

"Now," she buckled up, and placed Finn's arm back around her neck, resting her hand on top of his. "What did you need to tell me?"

"Well," Finn chuckled, "I wanted to talk to you about our song."

"Ah yes," Rachel nodded. "We need to write a song."

"That's true. But it can't be just any song. It has to be the best song that I've written yet. And as I remember clearly, you said that my songs lacked emotion," Finn teased.

"And you said that my voice lacked emotion," Rachel teased back.

"Exactly, so we need to pour our entire hearts and souls into this song."

"How do you suppose we're going to do that?"

Finn shot her a half-smile. "That's my point. It isn't going to happen right away. We're going to need time to write a song as epic as the one we are going to write."

"Time?" Rachel asked, slightly moving her face toward him.

Using the arm that was still wrapped around her, Finn gently pulled Rachel to rest on his chest.

"A lot of time. To find inspiration of course."

Rachel smiled as she felt Finn's heart beat against her cheek.

"It's a shame that I can't go home until we finish," Rachel nuzzled her check against his chest.

"You know all the members have to abide by the rules, and rule number 11 is no exception," Finn stroked her hair.

"What we're doing, is it wrong? Rachel asked more seriously as she removed her head off his chest to look him in the eyes.

"Tell me Rachel, what exactly are we doing?"

"We're hanging out," Rachel justified honestly. "We're not dating. Because dating would imply that we want to possibly be in some sort of official, intimate, labeled union and status. And we're not. We know we can't have that. So, we're just, two people, who are very, very close... and who care a lot about each other... and who are very comfortable with one another... and who just happen to enjoy spending a lot of time together."

"And we're doing it for the sake of the band too," Finn added. "I mean, we're doing all of this so we can write a good song, we're just doing it in a way that would make the process more fun."

"That's right," Rachel agreed, resting her head against his chest again. "But," Rachel sat up again, "is it right to be deceiving the band, you know, pretending that we aggravate each other all the time?"

"Rachel, you're the one who officiated this act. You know our friends. You know what will happen if they misunderstand our dynamic. They're going to exaggerate it, and it will tear the band apart, which is exactly what we don't want. We're helping the band."

"I suppose," Rachel said, putting her head back on his chest again.

"Hey, Buddy?" Finn asked.

"Yeah?"

"If you could go back and amend that rule, would you?"

"Buddy, you and I both know that answer to that."

* * *

><p><em>"You were amazing!" Finn exclaimed as soon as he saw her.<em>

_He was standing right outside the coffee shop at five, just as they said._

_"You, you were amazing," Rachel smiled slightly. "Finn, you're a drummer, a really, really good one."_

_"Rachel, your voice is without a doubt the most beautiful voice I've ever heard in my life," Finn said, taking her hands in both of his. "I have no doubt that you're going to because famous."_

_"Thank you," Rachel said, a bit somberly. She exhaled deeply. She would have to do it sooner or later. She removed her hands out of his. "Finn, can we talk about today?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, sure, come on, let's go inside. To be honest, I'm actually a little sad. It's not raining today. You know how I feel about your hair during the rain." _

_"Finn," Rachel stopped him. "Can we talk here? It's important."_

_Finn looked at her concerned. "Is everything okay? Kurt said you weren't feeling too well earlier when you were in the bathroom. Are you feeling alright?"_

_"No, no, it's not like that," she placed her hand on his cheek, just for her own sake. "I'm okay. But Finn, I need to tell you something."_

_"What is it?" Finn asked, placing his on top of hers._

_"It's about the band," Rachel removed her hand. "Don't tell anyone, not even Puck, that I told you this, but you guys in."_

_"In as in-"_

_"You're in the band!" Rachel smiled at his happy expression. That was the only justification she needed. She had indeed made the right decision. _

_"Yes!" Finn exclaimed as he moved to give her a hug._

_"But Finn," Rachel took a step before he could go close. "There's one condition."_

_"Yeah, yeah, of course," Finn said, still happy. "What is it?"_

_"We have to stop seeing each other like this," Rachel said, the words immediately causing her immense sadness._

_"What?" Finn said, his face shocked and puzzled._

_"Us potentially going out on dates… like what we were supposed to do today. It has stop."_

_"But, why?" he asked, confused._

_"It's a rule. Rule number 14, band members are not allowed to date other band members. It's a part of the band constitution, it's band law."_

_"I see," Finn said, and his immediate understanding made Rachel realize how real the situation was._

_And who was she kidding? Of course Finn would understand. In fact, it was rather silly of her to think that he wouldn't. Finn needed to be a part of this band. Why would he give up the opportunity for someone he had only just met? Obviously, Finn would choose being in a band over being in a possible relationship with her. It was only practical._

_So why did that thought hurt her so much?_

_No. She could no longer allow Finn to have such an impact on her feelings. _

_"I'm glad we stopped this before this really became anything," Rachel said, building a wall to protect herself from any further pain._

_"Before this became anything?" Finn repeated, frowning._

_"Yeah, you know, before anything got too complicated. Look, you're a part of the band now. And it's time for us to let go of whatever we thought was going to happen based off of yesterday, and it's time we just move on and forget about it."_

_"So what's our story then?" Finn snapped. Rachel was shocked. Rachel had never thought someone as sweet as Finn could get so provoked. "Do we pretend that yesterday never happened?"_

_"Well, yes. As far as the band knows, we never met before. We were strangers when we met at your audition today," Rachel said rationally._

_"Yesterday didn't mean anything to you?" Finn asked, and Rachel ignored the evident pain in his voice._

_"Finn, that doesn't matter. I'm just saying, we just met yesterday. Can you image what it would be like if you auditioned later? After things got more serious between us? Look, perhaps this was a sign from the universe. And frankly, everyone wins this way. We need each other. Why can't you see that I'm doing you a favor?"_

_"Ah, now I get it. I see you've made your choice then" Finn nodded angrily. _

_"What choice? No, you don't understand, it's a good thing we weren't-" Rachel began to say._

_"No, I understand clearly. Thank you for the favor, Rachel. It was nice meeting you today." _

_And with that, Finn walked away from her, leaving behind their story of everything that happened prior._

* * *

><p>104 songs.<p>

Rachel and Finn had listened to 104 songs before they decided to start writing their own.

It was her idea to listen to them. They were, after all musical artists themselves, and the best way to write a song is to listen to them. Every song had some sort of story.

Rachel had this in mind as she let the music take control of her. See, Rachel had a lot of self-control. It was one of the many things Rachel prided herself on. However, when it came to music, she could just let go without a second thought.

And music had the same affect on Finn as well.

Even Finn – who had never really enjoyed dancing– couldn't help but to take her into his large arms and dance with her all around the living room when a slow love song had played. This was, of course, several songs after they heard a heavy metal song and showed off their rock moves. Variety was in music was very important.

So now, 104 songs later, they had retreated to Finn's room, and sat with their legs crisscrossed on his bed, surrounded by sheet music.

"Can you believe that it's been about seven hours and I've still haven't heard any pestering from Kurt about the status of our song?" Rachel asked Finn, who in turned look at the clock.

"Not really," Finn shrugged. "I mean, he wants a great song, and if it means that we have to pull an all-nighter, then so be it. Plus, I think he really does want us to be spending time with one another. If anything, I think he'd only call to check and see if you haven't stormed off yet."

"Ha ha," Rachel pushed him playfully. "Very funny. But I'm not the only one who has a tendency to storm off. You, my dearest Buddy, are also guilty of storming of many, many times."

"Oh yeah," Finn challenged her. "Name one time."

"Hmm, I don't know, how about the time when I told you that you had made it into the band?"

"Oh, that time."

"Oh yeah, that time," Rachel mocked him.

"You know that was your fault just as it was mine."

"I'm not saying that it was anyone's fault. I'm just saying that you are a little diva, just like the rest of us."

"Which is why we're the perfect band!" Finn exclaimed.

"Can you believe you and Puck auditioned about a year ago?" Rachel smiled. "Nothing's been the same since."

"Officially 364 days ago," Finn said rather affectionately.

"You mean?"

"Yup, it's past midnight, which means, a year ago, I was seconds away from watching you scream in our favorite coffee place."

Rachel blushed at the memory. "Doesn't feel like it. Feels like much longer."

"Well, it's only 122 cups of coffee later."

Rachel was stunned. "You kept track?"

"It isn't too hard, I mean it rained 122 times in the last 12 months, so…" Finn scratched his head.

Still, Rachel was beyond touched.

"What else have you been keeping track of?" she placed her hand on his knee.

"I don't know, look can we just forget about it and–"

"Finn," Rachel insisted.

"They're mainly just band stuff. 94 bar gigs, 48 of our own written songs, 4 openings… stuff like that. But when it comes you? Well, I guess 121 pairs of wet socks. Oh and I guess it's officially 152 midnights together," Finn said without pausing. "And zero dates," he added quickly.

"Finn, how do you remember all of that? Especially the midnights one," Rachel placed her hand on his forearm.

"I don't know. It's easy, I guess. I just… I don't know how to explain it to you."

"You could try," Rachel encouraged him.

"Do you know how it is? When you have so much… so much fun? And when you're with someone you care about, and you can just do everything or anything, regardless of what it is, and it will just make you truly, truly happy. It's like you're just there, in that time and place, with that person, and nothing else in the universe. Do you know what that's like?"

"I do," Rachel said, inching closer to Finn.

"Well, I feel that way whenever I'm playing with the band, when I'm playing with you. And as for the midnights? I don't know, I think it's because you officially became my Buddy on our first midnight together, and I guess I like it when I end a day and start a new day off with you. I suppose my mind just keeps track of those times. I guess, when I think about how they've all added up, it just makes me think that my life has pretty damn perfect since it all began at 1."

Rachel was silent for a moment, a realization dawning on her. She did understand.

"That's it!" she said, snapping her figures.

"That's what?" Finn said, confused as why Rachel was suddenly shuffling through the bed.

"There it is!" Rachel held up the notepad she had found. "You want an emotional song, I'll give you one," Rachel said stubbornly. Grabbing a pencil, she took a piece of paper and began to write key words.

"Rachel, what are you doing?"

"I'm writing key points for our song."

Finn peaked over to see what she was writing.

"It's a song about… a perfect life?"

"You make it sound so boring," Rachel said, crumpling up the piece of paper before grabbing another sheet. "But in essence, yes, a dream life. It's about finding that perfect life alone, but then you meet someone, and they change your life and help you achieve your dream, and it's something better than of what you could have ever possibly imagined."

"So a love song?" Finn asked.

"I suppose," Rachel tilted her head, poking her tongue through as she began to think. "You know how those helpless romantics are. But it can't be too cheesy, we need to tend to a broader audience. We need a catchy beat, but not too techno, you know?"

"Okay, Finn said slowly, looking at her notes as she wrote furiously. She didn't how songwriting worked, but all of a sudden, after her talk with Finn, she was just so… inspired.

"That would be good for the chorus," Finn said. Humming a bit, he sang a bit of the words. "That's the beat!" Finn exclaimed once he found the right tune. Quickly, he grabbed a sheet and began work on the chorus with her.

Rachel paused him momentarily to watch him. "You're amazing, Finn," she said to him, beaming.

"Not really, we're going to have to change it a lot once we work with the piano. But it's just the general tune that I'm doing" he gave her a smile.

"But your lyrics, now they're really good," he said as he leaned over to flick her nose.

Laughing, Rachel pushed his arm. "You're the one who inspired me, silly. And besides, I'm the amateur one here. You've been writing songs for us since we started making our first album."

"True, but that's because I've got a pretty great Buddy to support and inspire me," Finn said, leaning to kiss her temple.

"Yeah yeah," Rachel said as he pulled away. "Get working," she smiled at him.

* * *

><p><em>"I'm sorry, but I refuse to be a part of something called Pamela Handshurry."<em>

_"It's Pamela Lansbury," Rachel clarified._

_It was their first official band meeting, and now Finn and Puck were reviewing the constitution._

_"Yeah, no way in hell is my band going to be called that," Puck snorted._

_"You mean our band. Technically, you're not even a part of it yet," Santana corrected him. _

_Puck ignored her, and instead he flipped through the band constitution. "'Rule number 10, band members are not allowed to have ice in their drinks.' Seriously? Look, before Finn and I officially sign this thing, some changes have to be made."_

_"We're listening," Kurt offered. _

_"First of all the band name. It sucks." _

_"Okay, then, Puck, what name ideas do you have?" Santana demanded._

_Puck smirked. "The Puckasaurs."_

_"Hell no," Santana stood up. _

_"Okay, okay. How about we all go around and suggest a name?" Kurt compromised. "Santana?"_

_"Devilicious Pents."_

_"No," Kurt frowned. "Finn, do you have an idea?"_

_Rachel looked at him for the first time that night. So far, neither of them had acknowledged the other. Rachel didn't know where exactly they were standing. _

_"We're a cover band, right?" Finn asked softly._

_"As of now, yes," Kurt replied._

_"How about… " Finn paused for moment, deep in thought. "The Sentimentals."_

_There was no immediate response._

_"I like it," Kurt finally said, breaking the silence. "Santana?"_

_"It'll do," she shrugged. _

_"Puck?" Kurt asked._

_"I mean, it's better than Devilicious Pents."_

_"Rachel?" Kurt asked Rachel, who had had not yet taken her gaze of off Finn. She jumped a bit when Finn made eye contact with her. Rachel immediately turned away._

_"It's good," she answered. _

_"Any other suggestions?"_

_Everyone shook their heads. _

_"Good," Kurt said. "So it's official. Our first amendment will be to change the band name from Pamela Lansbury to The Sentimentals. Any other questions or concerns about the constitution?"_

_"Yeah," Puck pointed to a place on the constitution. "Rule number 3, every year, a band leader must be elected. What exactly is a band leader?"_

_"A band leader is the one who handles all the media and managerial tasks. He or she is also in charge of leading group discussions. Currently, I am the band leader, but since we are a practically a new band, I am willing to hold elections again. Any nominations?" _

_"Yeah, can you nominate yourself?" _

_"No."_

_"Oh, well then, I'm fine with you," Puck answered, not really caring._

_"Finn?"_

_"You got my vote."_

_"Do you guys want to change your vote?" Kurt asked Rachel and Santana, who both shook their heads. _

_"Nice. So, Puck, Finn, any issues with the rules?"_

_"Rule 10," Puck said. "I like my drinks icy."_

_"Fine," Kurt rolled his eyes. "However, in return, band members must have regular check ups with the doctor to ensure that they, and their voices, are in tiptop shape. Agreed?"_

_They all nodded their heads._

_"Finn? Do you have a question?"_

_"Yes I do," Finn inquired. "It says here that all members of the band must contribute to the studio rent, but Puck and I are still trying to cover our own rent. Is there any way we can receive our advanced payments?"_

_"See," Kurt turned a shade of pink. "That's the thing, we don't make a lot of money ourselves. We have a couple or so gigs, and that's it. So we can't actually make money until our next show, and I don't know when that will be. I know that this wasn't what you expected when you auditioned, but I promise you, with the five of us together, we'll get there someday. We're going to take the world by storm."_

_"I understand, I really do, but Puck and I still need to pay our rent or else our landlord will kick us out," Finn said. _

_"In the case, how about you and Puck just live with us?"_

_"What?" Finn and Rachel asked simultaneously._

_They made eye contact with one another, not sure what to make of this development. _

_"We can rearrange the apartment again so that they fit. It'll be cramped, but we can make it work."_

_"Hey, I'm down with it," Puck said. "This and the studio rent will still be way cheaper than what we're paying now."_

_"No," Rachel said flatly. It was awkward enough just being in the same room as Finn, but living with him? Living with the man she couldn't stop thinking about, but who also happened to be off limits? There was no way she could handle that._

_"Rachel, it'll be easier this way," Kurt argued. "Rent is hard on us too, and now, instead of three contributing, they'll be five."_

_Rachel opened her mouth to argue again, but she took a while trying to formulate an argument. What was she supposed to say? That she had complicated feelings for Finn?_

_"We just met them," Rachel argued. "Santana?"_

_Santana shook her head. "I don't want to be a part of this argument. But if Finn and Puck need a place to stay, then of course we should be the ones to open our doors."_

_"Rachel, they're a part of the band now. Remember, rule number 1, band members look after band members. We're a family now, and if we're truly going to make it, we're going to have to start acting like one," Kurt said. _

_Rachel sat back in her seat, no longer able to argue back._

_"Now, any objections?"_

_No one said a thing._

_"Now, starting tomorrow, Finn and Puck will move in with us."_

_"Any more concerns over the rules? This is the last time that I'm going to open them up for possible amending."_

_Rachel looked at Finn, who was still looking through the rules._

_A huge part of her wanted him to ask about rule 14. Perhaps, if he brought it up, they could just try to amend the rule. Maybe, just maybe, Kurt and Santana would have a change of heart, and allow them to get rid of the rule. If that were the case, well there would be nothing to complicate whatever was going on between her and Finn. They could just let whatever what was going on between them before just… happen. There wouldn't be any rules or consequences, just them. Maybe then they could go back to the way they were the first night they met. Maybe they could still have their something great._

_She waited, almost prayed that he would bring it up._

_She sat up as he looked up from the constitution. Her eyes locked with his, and she hoped that he understood what she was trying to convey to her, like he had before._

_But instead, he looked away._

_"No, I'm good," Finn said. "Where do I sign?"_

* * *

><p>It's almost two when they finally finished the first complete draft of the song.<p>

"This looks good," Rachel yawned, stretching her arms.

"Really good," Finn agreed, before yawning himself.

"Time for bed," she patted his chest before standing up. Walking over to his dresser, she opened the second drawer, the one where he kept his tees. Picking one up, she turned and tossed it to Finn, who caught it with ease.

"Can you get me a pair of boxers too please?" he asked. Nodding, Rachel picked a tee out for herself before she opened the first drawer to grab a pair of boxers.

"Thanks," Finn said as he walked up to her to pick it up himself.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," she told him.

"I'll be there in a sec," he called back.

Not bothering to lock the door, Rachel took off her pants and shirt the minute she stepped inside the bathroom. Putting on Finn's tee, Rachel instantly relaxed. She loved the way it draped so loosely on her.

Just as she anticipated, Finn soon joined in the bathroom. "Here's your toothbrush," he handed it over to her. She was here so often that she had her own toothbrush in his place. Finn of course, had to hide it in some place other than the bathroom so Puck wouldn't get suspicious. They were rather brilliant like that, and through the months, they've gotten quite good at not being obvious. No one suspected that they here truly close friends. At least, not anymore, and certainly not to her knowledge.

"Do you think Puck will be coming home tonight?" Rachel asked as she brushed her teeth.

"No way," Finn said, taking his toothbrush out of his mouth. "He's only been home once this week," Finn said before he stuck the toothbrush back in his mouth.

"It's getting pretty serious with Quinn, then, isn't it?" Rachel asked.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day," Finn said before he flashed her a foamy smile. Rachel laughed at her friend. What a dork.

"I miss this," Finn said, his voice mumbled due to the toothbrush "Reminds me of the time we were all living together."

"Oh yes," Rachel laughed before she spit the toothpaste out her mouth and into the sink. "The craziest four months of our lives."

Finn too spit in the sink. "Now we're all grown up."

Needing to rinse her mouth, Rachel nudged Finn, who stepped to the side so that she could use the sink.

"I'd say," Rachel said when she finished. Eyeing Finn, who was rinsing his mouth, she pinched his stomach. "And where did this come from?" she teased.

"Hey!" Finn laughed, before splashing her with water.

"Finn!" Rachel shrieked.

"You started it," Finn stuck his tongue out at her.

"Fine, I surrender," she said. "Now, move, I've got to wash my face."

Using the hair tie that was around her arm, Rachel tied up her hair in a messy bun. She reached over the sink and took a nickel-sized amount of Finn's white face wash and handed it over Finn so that he could do the same.

"Rachel, you turned so old, my face turned pale just looking at you," Finn said, pointing to his white covered face.

Rachel rolled her eyes, but still chuckled at him.

After washing her face and finishing up, Rachel officially decided that she could not let Finn have the last round for the night.

Stretching a bit, she slid her hands under her shirt and unhooked her bra strap.

"What are you doing?" Finn nearly shrieked as she began to remove her bra. Was it bad that she loved that she had such an affect on him?

"I'm taking off my bra," she said simply. It was a skill of women to remove her bra without taking off her shirt. It was a skill she was proud of, especially now. She slowly took it off with ease.

"Oh, someone plays dirty," Finn said, trying hard to look away, but failing miserably.

"What?" Rachel said. "You know I don't like sleeping with a bra," she teased, and with her bra hanging from her fingertips, she walked away from the bathroom. "And besides she stopped and turned back, "it was wet." Smirking, she turned away and walked about to Finn's room.

"It doesn't make a difference you know," Finn called behind her. "The shirt that you're wearing is still wet!" And with that, he shut the door.

Ah how Rachel loved bickering with Finn.

Waiting for Finn to return, Rachel lifted the bedcovers and welcomed herself onto the bed. Sitting up on the bed, her back against a pillow she took Finn's phone and unlocked it, her fingers naturally knowing the password combination.

Opening his pictures album, Rachel smiled at the most recent one. It was a picture of her "sleeping" on the bed, over the sheets. Hours ago, Finn had sent Kurt a picture of her supposedly sleeping followed by a text rant about the assignment Kurt had given them. Rachel laughed as she recalled how precise Finn was in directing her exact position and expression for the photo. Intended to make sure that Kurt didn't worry about Rachel not going home for the night, the picture and text was also a way to make sure that Kurt wouldn't get suspect anything else that was going on between them. It was their little façade.

Flipping through the other photos in his phone, Rachel's heart melted as she saw the amount of pictures of her. Nearly all of his pictures were of her, half of which included him. The ones that weren't were pictures of the band.

Turning on the camera, Rachel made a silly face as she snapped a photo of herself. Hearing Finn's footsteps, Rachel quickly put Finn's phone back on his bedside table.

"That took you a while," Rachel joked.

"Very funny," Finn said as he began to join her in bed.

Rachel sank down onto the bed and turned to face Finn, who was already looking at her.

She loved looking at his eyes. They were so pure and warm. So trustworthy. She felt safe in his eyes.

"Comfy?" Finn said after a bit.

"Oh yes, I sure am. Man how I love these pillows," Rachel said, rubbing her face against her pillow. "They smell so much like you. And they're so fluffy."

"I know how you love your fluff," Finn smiled.

"I do, don't I?" Rachel stretched.

"You're like the Queen of Fluff."

"Thank you," Rachel said. "That's why you've gained a bit of weight, huh? It's because you know I like fluffy things."

"Hey!" Finn pouted.

"It's okay. You'll always be my Buddy no matter how fluffy you get," Rachel smiled, moving quickly to place a quick peck on his cheek.

"Good night," she said before turning over to the other side.

"Good night," Finn said, leaning up to kiss the top of her head before lying back down.

This journey that they've been on in the past year, full of numbers and songs and rules, was truly something else. The something great she had thought of a year ago was coming. Rachel of was sure of it. Of course, it would be nothing like the something great she had envisioned long ago. But Rachel was okay with that. More than okay. Change was good. Change was necessary.

But there was at least one thing hasn't change from a year ago. Finn and her weren't dating, that much was still the same. And yet, their relationship was still, very much complicated.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Still more to come! Thank you all for sticking around.**


	3. The Observer

**A/N: I don't own anything, including the indirect references mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Rachel, could I talk to you for a second?" Kurt whispered in Rachel's ear the moment the band meeting was over.<p>

The band was currently in the process of recording their second album, but unlike their "first" album (which was really just a compilation of five cover songs and one original song tossed together by some sketchy guy they met at the bar), this album would be the first produced by an actual, legit recording studio. For them, this phase either meant long, long hours in the recording studio, or long, long hours meeting with their producers.

But it was beyond worth it.

Rachel and Finn and just finished presenting their original song to both the band and the studio, and the band had agreed to include the song as a last minute addition to the album.

"Sure," Rachel said to Kurt in reply, and she followed him to an isolated area to the side.

"I've got it hand it to you, you and Finn actually did a really good job writing the song," Kurt praised her.

"Thank you, it wasn't easy, but Finn and I decided to put our differences aside for the sake of the band," Rachel said, somewhat honest. Everything they did was for the sake of the band.

"I know, and I'm so proud of you," Kurt said, putting his hand on her shoulder, making Rachel smile. "And your accomplishment has only reaffirmed my decision," Kurt continued.

Rachel tiled her head, confused. "What decision?"

"As you know, in a couple of days, my current term as band leader will be coming to an end."

"Yes," Rachel said, unsure where he was headed. "Band rule number 3, every year, a band leader must be elected._"_

"Right, and I've been thinking, as much as I have loved being the band leader, I think I want to pass the torch on to someone else, someone who I know will take the band to new heights. And that someone is you, Rachel. A couple of days from now, when it's time to elect a band leader, I'm going to nominate you."

"Me?" Rachel said in disbelief. "But you're the band leader. You've always been the band leader."

"I have my reasons. First of all, we're going to be launching our album soon, and since you are lead singer, I want you to be the main face of this band. So you'll be the one talking at all the events, working with the professionals, etc. It'll be easier this way. Second of all, and most importantly... you, Rachel, have dedicated your life to this band. You've stayed loyal to it, and to us, since the day I recruited you back in college. You abided, and enforced, all the rules. You contribute more than what I can possibly ask for. I trust you, Rachel. I trust that you can put the needs of the band first, just like what you've been doing from the start."

"I don't know, Kurt. You've been band leader from the start," Rachel offered, hesitant to ponder about the responsibilities and powers of being the band leader. If she was band leader, then she would have the power to amend the rules… and… and…. No. Rachel wouldn't let her mind get that far. Not everything was black and white. There was no straightforward, easy vision where everything somehow managed to work itself out. Sometimes, you have to give and take.

"Rachel, I've made up my mind. I want you to be band leader," Kurt said.

Rachel furrowed her brow, still not accepting Kurt's confession. "But, Kurt, rule number 2, all band decisions must be made unanimously, surely someone else will be nominated, and besides, there's no way Finn would vote for me."

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," Kurt pursed his lips. "I need you to get close to Finn."

"What?" Rachel was shocked.

"You need to win his vote, and more than that, you need to dispel the tension that's going on between you two."

"Tension?" Rachel asked, hoping Kurt hadn't been noticing any romantic tensions between them.

"Come on - your constant bickering, picking fights - that type of energy isn't good for the band. We need you two working together if this band is going really to take off. Just look at your song, see what happens when you two work together? It's something… special. And we need that."

"Kurt…" Rachel began, her heart beating faster at just the thought of Finn.

"I don't understand how you and Finn got in this weird place with one another in the first place. Back when we were all living together, you two seemed so close."

"Things change Kurt," Rachel said, giving him the standard response to his statement, a response she had said so many times whenever someone brought up that time in their lives.

"And things can change again. Win Finn's vote, Rachel, and then make amends with him. Do it for the band," Kurt finished, and with that, he walked away.

Rachel ran her hand through her hair, not quite sure what to do. She needed some time to think.

* * *

><p><em>Living with five people was certainly quite the adventure.<em>

_For starters, the bathroom was always occupied. This of course, was expected. However, since they were all a part of the same band, they all had the exact same schedules. Rachel found herself waking up one morning an hour early to call dibs on the shower, only to run into Finn, who had the same idea._

_Things between them were awkward, to say the least. Beyond polite gestures and phrases, the two of them have yet to have an actual conversation, much less about what happened before he joined the band._

_Rachel supposed it was better this way. After all, she was the one who suggested that they just forget about what happened the first night they met. And yet, it seemed like nothing could stop her growing affections for him._

_Everything he did just made her more attracted to him. Living with him, Rachel truly got to see his different mannerisms and attitudes in action. It was beyond hard, to grow fonder of someone whom you knew you couldn't possibly be with. These growing feelings only made Rachel want to keep her distance from Finn before she acted on them._

_And, standing in just her robe right there and then, looking at Finn wearing a simple tee and boxers, a towel hanging over his shoulder, Rachel couldn't help but to acknowledge that this was their first time alone since she broke the news to him back at the coffee shop not too long ago. _

_Knowing that this was bound to happen sooner or later, especially because they now were practically roommates, Rachel brushed aside her nerves. Or at least, she tried to. Because when she opened her mouth, not a word came out._

"_Looks like we both had the same idea," Finn said first, while her mouth was still open._

_Now that Finn somewhat broke the barrier, Rachel immediately closed her mouth and smiled politely. "Good, so you're here to steal all the hot water too?" she joked, noticing right away how easy it was to talk to him in reality. Now that she was here, now that they were making some sort of small talk, Rachel realized that it might be actually harder for her to not talk to him. There was just something about Finn that made it natural to converse with him._

"_Yup," Finn joked along. "And I even had a set list ready of all the songs I planned to sing in there while I use every last drop of the hot water too."_

_Rachel laughed. "Well, since I am eager to hear that set list of yours, I'll let you go first," Rachel stepped aside so that Finn could shower first._

_Finn didn't move. "I was being serious," he said. "I do have a set list, and I won't go out until I sing every last song."_

"_And so was I," Rachel said back. "I want to hear how you sing in the shower so that I can properly judge you."_

"_Suit yourself," Finn shrugged as he walked inside. "But don't say I didn't warn you." Watching as Finn closed and locked the door, Rachel went to sit a couch that was not too far away and she grabbed a magazine sitting on the coffee table._

_Soon enough, she heard Finn sing. She had heard him sing before, as backup, but now, hearing him sing raw, with only the sound of the shower to accentuate his voice, Rachel realized that he was actually a really good singer. She had heard many good singers before, and while Finn may not be as good vocally, he certainly was amazing musically. He had certain sound, one that was uniquely him. She decided that she quite frankly loved the way he sounded when he sang._

_What also stroke Rachel was his choice in music. His shower set list consisted of Journey, U2… artists she never quite appreciated, being a Broadway fanatic herself. However, hearing Finn's rendition made her reconsider her selections. Perhaps variety was good._

_Several songs passed, and by then, Rachel had already finished flipping through the magazine. Finn wasn't kidding. He did take a long time in the shower. In that sense, Finn may have rivaled Kurt. Rachel oddly found that quite endearing. _

_However, Rachel, really, really, really needed to use the bathroom._

_It had come to a point where it hurt to breathe because she so desperately need to go._

_Rachel really only had five options._

_She could wait for Finn to finish, whenever that was, and risk having health problems because of it._

_She could tell Finn to hurry up, that is if he could hear her over the sound of his own voice. Rachel knew from her own experience that he probably would not hear her._

_She could use the bathroom at a neighbor's house, although her neighbors were really creepy, and since she was only in her robe, Rachel crossed that option out immediately._

_She could try to find another place in the house to go, although that didn't seem too sanitary._

_Finally, she could unlock the bathroom door, using a little trick that Santana taught her, use the bathroom, and then leave before Finn even noticed she was there._

_Deciding that the last option was her best bet, Rachel took a bobby pin from her hair and ran to the bathroom door. Shoving the pin into the lock, she quickly moved it around like Santana had taught her, and alas, the door opened._

_She quickly tipped toed to the toilet, and lifting her robe up like a dress, she sat down and relieved herself._

_However, as soon as she was done, Finn's singing came to a halt, and the shower turned off. Realizing what was about to happen, Rachel quickly cleaned up, stood back up and fixed her robe, her eyes watching as Finn's hand grabbed his towel on the rack._

_Milliseconds from dashing to the door, Rachel froze as she heard the shower curtain open. _

"_Rachel?" she heard Finn say in shock._

_Turning around, her face bright red, Rachel waved at Finn. "Hi," she said lamely. Immediately, her eyes found themselves on Finn's body. She couldn't stop herself from running her gaze up and down his body, from his wet face, to his naked chest, over the towel that covered him well, and down to his long, toned legs. And as much as her mind screamed to look away, Rachel couldn't bring herself to do it. How could a man be so naturally attractive?_

"_Um… did you need something?" he asked, snapping her back into reality._

"_Uh yes," she finally looked away. "You took too long, and I needed to pee."_

_Out of the corner of her eyes (okay, so maybe she didn't look away completely,) Rachel saw Finn smirk. "I warned you!" he said._

"_Hey," Rachel turned to look at him, her pride not really caring at that moment that he was just in a towel. "I didn't think you would take that long."_

"_Doesn't matter," Finn stepped out of the shower and up toward her. Rachel inhaled sharply, feeling the heat from his body radiating off him. He then came close to her face, causing a few drops of water to fall off of him and onto her. "Unless, you wanted to hear me sing up close?" he said in a husky tone._

_Rachel didn't move. Instead she looked him straight in the eyes, her confidence on the same level as his._

"_I'll admit it, I did enjoy listening to you sing. But, besides the fact that my bladder was going to explode, I wanted to step in and let you listen to my shower set list."_

_Just as she was about to go turn on the shower again, she was interrupted. _

"_Oh hello," they heard a voice in the background. Both of them snapped heads to the door, only to see Santana looking at the two of them._

"_What's going on in here?" Santana said, intrigued. _

_Deciding not to tell Santana that she had used the technique she had taught her to unlock the door while Finn was showering, Rachel just shrugged._

"_Nothing really," she answered. "Finn just finished showering, and now it's my turn."_

"_Pretty much," Finn said and walked out of the bathroom. "By the way Rachel," he turned back to Rachel and Santana, "you might want to let Santana use the bathroom real quickly first. Wouldn't want her to come in on you while you're in there."_

"_Oh please," Santana answered. "I've been living with Rachel for years now. I can enter while she's in there whenever I want."_

_Rachel nodded. "It's part of being roommates, Finn."_

* * *

><p>It was raining.<p>

It had been a few hours since Kurt had told her the news that he was going to nominate her for band leader, and since then, Rachel had taken the time to think about what the position would entail. Rachel had come to many different conclusions, but one thing was certain: she had to discuss it with Finn.

As if the universe agreed with her, Rachel smiled when she heard the rain. She had to meet with Finn at their coffee place.

After fixing herself a bit, Rachel left her room and went over to the coat rack and began to put on her coat.

"Where are you going?" Rachel heard a voice. Turning to Santana, she continued to put on her coat.

"Just out to grab something small to eat," Rachel said, using the same statement she normally said to either Kurt or Santana whenever it rained, but only if they asked. Most of the time, they didn't care.

"Why?" Santana asked. It looked like today was of the exceptions.

"Because I'm bored and I want to go out," Rachel said, another standard answer she had prepared for this exact scenario.

"Where exactly are you going?"

"Santana, I don't need to tell you where I am every second of everyday. I'm an adult, I can do whatever I want."

"Whoa, whoa, no need to get all defensive," Santana threw her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I just thought that hey, since we're friends and all, I might want to know more about you and your life. But hey, I guess it's all good. It's not like you would care enough to do the same for me."

"Santana…" Rachel began.

"No, no… no need for any excuses. I just thought that it's been awhile since we've talked about something that wasn't band related. But I understand that you don't want to include me in this private life of yours and all…" Santana said. Rachel sighed. Santana knew exactly what to say.

"Santana, stop. I'm going to a coffee shop," Rachel confessed, hoping Santana would stop prying.

"But it's like 8 in the evening," Santana immediately said.

"So?"

"If you want coffee, then you'll be up all night."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, we're not meeting until noon tomorrow."

"True. I'll come with you."

"Why?" Rachel panicked. Never had any of their friends wanted to come along whenever she went to get coffee with Finn. Questions, they could handle. But having one of their friends tag along? That was a first.

"Because I miss spending time outside the band with you, of course. Why? Is there a reason why you don't want me to come?"

Yes. Obviously, if Santana came and saw Finn, she would get suspicious, just as she had before. Not that Santana had any reason to be worried, of course. But the last thing Rachel wanted was for Santana to spend her time and energy wondering what was going on between her and Finn.

"Of course not," Rachel lied. "It'll be good to have some company."

"Great," Santana stood up and went to grab her coat as well.

Rachel had to tell Finn that Santana was coming, just to prepare him. "I'm uh, going to get to some more cash in my room. I'll be right back."

Quickly, she walked into her room and pulled out her cell phone. Deciding not to risk the chance of Santana listening, Rachel texted Finn to alert him that Santana was coming. Hoping he would see her text before they arrived, Rachel stood up to indeed get more cash from her drawers.

When she came back out, Rachel saw that Santana was all ready to go.

"Should I go get a cab?" Santana asked.

"Nah," Rachel said. "You know how hard it is to catch a cab on rainy days. Besides, the coffee place I planned on going to isn't too far away. We can just walk."

"Fine. But if we get sick tomorrow, it's all your fault." Opening her umbrella and holding it up so that it covered the two of them, Rachel linked her other arm around Santana, and the two of them began to walk.

"Please, I do this all the time, and I've never gotten sick," Rachel blurted out.

"You always walk in the rain?" Santana asked curiously.

"Uh, yes. Because of the whole taxi thing," Rachel answered carefully, hoping Santana wouldn't begin to question why she was always out in the rain in the first place. Thankfully, Rachel's phone beeped, indicating she had a text. Quickly reading it out of Santana's line of view, Rachel was relieved to know that Finn was prepared to see Santana.

"Who's that?" Santana asked, as Rachel expected she would.

"Finn. I invited him by the way."

"Why?" Santana said, her tone sounding overly surprised. Rachel decided not to read into her tone too much.

"Kurt told me to be nicer to him. I figured this would be a good place to start, especially since you're here. That way I wouldn't have to spend time with him alone."

"But now 's going to cockblock our night out," Santana said.

"Ha ha," Rachel joked. "So, since he is going to be there, why don't you tell me whatever it was that you wanted to tell me now."

"Ah, you know me so well," Santana said. It was true. Rachel could tell that Santana had something to tell her, which was why Santana asked to come along in the first place.

"I'm seeing someone," Santana revealed.

Rachel stopped the two of them in the middle of the sidewalk. Smiling happily at the news, Rachel quickly pulled her friend in for a hug. "Santana!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah," Santana pushed her off slightly, still she linked her arm around Rachel's and the two of the continued to walk.

"Tell me more!" Rachel said. "Who is the special person? How did you meet her? It is a her, right?"

"Of course it's a her, and I met her a bar a few weeks ago. And I know what you might be thinking, but it's different with her. I can't place my finger on it, but I can just tell, you know?"

Rachel did know exactly what Santana meant. "I'm so happy for you, Santana."

"Thanks Rachel. You're the first person I told about her, and I kind of want to keep our relationship a secret."

Rachel was touched that Santana trusted enough to tell her first. "Of course. I mean, after everything that happened between you and Dani, I'm glad that you were able to put yourself back out there."

"You'd tell me right?" Santana spoke suddenly. "You'd tell me if you were in a relationship, right?"

Rachel stared at her, wondering if there was any hidden agenda behind Santana's words. Telling herself that she was just being paranoid, Rachel brushed that thought out of her head.

"Of course I'd tell you," Rachel said.

"Well, you'd have to actually find someone first," Santana laughed.

Rachel didn't say anything. Instead her mind went to Finn. She had found him long ago. But sometimes, the difficulties aren't just in finding the right person. No. There were other things to consider. It wasn't as simple as everyone said it was. Right?

"I don't have the time to find someone," Rachel said. "I'm too busy worrying the band and-"

"I'm sorry, but that's a pathetic excuse," Santana cut her off. "Don't give me that look. Rachel, you can't always keep sacrificing your happiness for the sake of the band."

"But I am happy," Rachel said. She was. She really was. She liked where she was with Finn. She liked being his Buddy.

"You're settling for whatever happiness that you have now. But Rachel, can you imagine what it would be like if you opened up, and put your needs and wants first?"

What did she want exactly? Rachel she didn't quite know. She wanted the band to be successful, first and foremost. But she also, really wanted to act on her all feelings that she had for Finn. Rachel never imagined that she could have both.

"That'd be selfish," Rachel answered. It would be...

"Would it though? If you were happy, wouldn't that happiness reflect onto the band?"

Rachel couldn't answer back. Would it be selfish for her to start seeing Finn in a different way, beyond the level of friendship?

"Look, band no band, my friendship with you comes before anything else. All I want is for you to be the happiest you can possibly be," Santana said.

"Thank you Santana. You're friendship really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, don't get used to it," Santana scrunched her nose at her, making Rachel laugh.

"Oh look, we're here!" Rachel exclaimed, pointing to the coffee shop. Taking her arm out of Santana's arm, Rachel moved to look through her purse, pulling out two sunglasses. "Here," she held one out in her hand and offered it to Santana.

"What the heck are these for?" Santana frowned.

"They're disguises, just in case someone sees us," Rachel insisted.

"Rachel, we've may have had a couple of popular gigs, but no one is going to recognize us. At least not yet. After our album becomes a hit, then I'll be the first one to wear that excuse of a disguise you call there. But until then, there's no way I'm wearing shades inside a coffee shop while it's raining." Santana turned and walked away from Rachel, and headed to the coffee shop herself.

"Wait," Rachel said, putting the shades back in her bag. She quickly ran to catch up with Santana just as she opened the door.

"Oh look," Santana said as they walked in. "The giant is already here."

Sure enough, Finn was already sitting at a table. When he saw them, he immediately stood up. Santana wasted no time and headed over to him, with Rachel following cautiously behind her.

"Good to see you again Santana," Finn said politely, moving to give her a hug.

"Yeah, because you didn't just see me earlier today," Santana said sarcastically. "And why in the world are you wearing a hood?"

"For a disguise, someone might recognize us," Finn said. About a couple of months before, Finn and Rachel decided to start wearing subtle "disguises" to prevent others from recognizing the two of them in public.

"Oh great, you're just like Rachel," Santana shook her head, still she gladly accepted Finn's hug. They had a rather odd dynamic, Santana and Finn, but Rachel could tell that Santana truly did like him.

"Rachel," Finn nodded to her, acknowledging her presence.

"Finn," Rachel did the same before taking a seat.

"Well, now isn't this off to a great start?" Santana said, taking the seat diagonal from Rachel, leaving Finn with no other choice but to sit right next to or directly across from Rachel. Not wanting to move to the other side of the table, Finn took the seat directly across from Rachel, his eyes not meeting hers.

"So are we going to order something, or are we just going to stare at our fingers?" Santana asked.

"Sure, I'll buy. My treat," Rachel stood up. "What do you guys want?"

"No, I'll buy," Finn stood up.

"No, no Finn, Rachel's treating us today," Santana winked at Finn. "We're her dates."

"What?" Finn and Rachel said at the same time, looking at each other in the eyes for the first time that night.

"Jeez, can't you guys take a joke?" Santana joked.

"Yeah," Finn laughed rather nervously. "Besides, we all know that band members can't date, remember?"

"I'm sorry, Santana," Rachel added. "I know how much you want to date me, those are the rules. Rule number 14 to be exact."

"That's a stupid rule," Santana said.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel said, desperately wanting to hear more. "You and Kurt were the ones that wrote it."

"Yeah, but I was stupid back then. I was heartbroken and drunk when I wrote it, and you know nothing sensible comes out of those two combinations."

Finn and Rachel said nothing; still they both knew what the other was thinking.

If Santana didn't like the rules, would she be okay with them possibly being more than friends? And if they could win over Santana, could they win over Puck and Kurt too?"

"Hello," Santana said again. "Are we going to order?"

"Yes," Rachel said as Finn sat back down. "What do you want?"

"Just a cup of coffee," Santana said.

"Same," Finn said.

"Got it," Rachel left to go order. It wasn't long before she came back.

She didn't know exactly what to say to Finn now that Santana was now there to observe their every move.

"Our song turned out nice," Finn finally said to her.

"Oh yes," Rachel said awkwardly. "The revisions were good, and I think we're recording it tomorrow."

"Can we not talk about the band, please?" Santana begged. "I don't want to hear this exact conversation again tomorrow."

"Well, what else are we going to talk about?" Rachel asked. She didn't know.

"Easy," Santana smiled mischievously. "Let's talk about other people. People in here to be exact."

"But we don't know anyone here," Finn remarked.

"I know, and that's what's going to make it fun. We pick any random group of people and make up stories about them based off our impressions of them. Here, we'll start with something easy. Look at that group over there," Santana said.

"There's five of them," Finn said.

"Thank you Mr. Obvious, anything else? Come on, be creative, use your eyes! Look at people's body language," Santana urged them. "It'll tell you so much."

"Well, they looked like they would rather be in a bar right now," Finn supplied.

"Great! Go on," Santana encouraged them.

"The tall one and the one with the reddish-brown hair are married," Rachel added. "Oh, they seem like such a sweet couple."

"They probably been together for a long time, since college maybe," Finn replied.

"The guy seems like he would have a pretty impressive job. I'm thinking, maybe a doctor?" Rachel said.

"No," Finn shook his head. "He seems like a lawyer."

"Ah!" Rachel clapped her hands. "That's it. What do you think, Santana?"

"I'm looking at the guy in the suit," Santana said.

"Yeah, he seems very egotistical," Rachel studied him.

"A playboy," Santana said. "With a high-paying yet sketchy job that would require him to just pretty much sign everything."

"He totally likes that other girl," Finn finally said about the man in the suit.

"Yeah he does," Rachel said. "Although, the guy with the messy hair looks like he likes her too."

"Oooo, all little tension in the group," Santana said.

"Yeah, the guy with the messy hair does seem like he likes her, but I think the story goes a little bit beyond that. I think he's just waiting for the right person… the love of his life… and I think he's just tired of waiting for her."

"Yeah. That's true. But can you imagine what it would be like for him to finally find her? It'll be the most epic story ever," Rachel smiled at Finn.

"Okay, well that turned boring quickly," Santana pretended to yawn. "Moving on… oh! How about that awkward couple over there."

"They're definitely both weird geniuses," Finn said, looking at the couple.

"He seems rather childlike, you know, the type of boy that likes comic books and even trains," Rachel described.

"But she loves that about him," Finn replied.

"Yeah, she does," Rachel agreed. "But she's also kind of really weird."

"They probably make weird factual videos together. Like videos about the world and flags and stuff."

"Do you think they're doing it?" Santana said bluntly.

"Santana!"

"What? It's an honest question."

"No," Finn said. "I don't think they are. But they don't really need to. They're just at the right level for what they're ready for."

"But she wants to," Rachel said.

"Oh yes," Finn agreed. "Maybe someday."

"I've got an idea," Santana said suddenly. "What do you think other people would say about us? What would their impressions of us be?"

"That we're a group of friends hanging out," Rachel replied.

"No, no. Don't play it safe. Come on. What would strangers talk about when they see us?"

"We're all very close," Finn said.

"We all probably have some history together."

"Yes, go on," Santana encouraged them. "Have some fun with it."

"Well why don't you say something then?" Finn replied.

"Fine," Santana pointed to Finn, "you want to have a threesome with us."

Rachel nearly choked.

"WHAT?"

"I'm just saying people would think that."

"Santana, people can hang out without it being dirty."

"People have dirty minds," Santana shrugged.

"No, they probably wouldn't go that far. They'd probably only try to guess which one of you I was into more," Finn said.

"And who would they choose?" Santana asked.

"Well Rachel of course," Finn said quickly. "Only because you're a lesbian, Santana," Finn added quickly.

"Okay," Santana nodded "I guess they could magically tell that I like girls, and there would be no other reason whatsoever."

It was only then that Rachel realized that her leg somehow managed to get intertwined with Finn's. Quickly, she removed it, hoping that Santana didn't notice it.

Although, something told her that Santana noticed so much more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Still more to come, thank you so much for reading. By the way, did anyone catch those character references? :) <strong>


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